This invention relates generally to motor vehicle interior repairs and more particularly concerns repair of factory installed foam-backed headliners in automobiles, trucks an vans.
A typical factory installed headliner consists of a nylon or vinyl liner bonded to a foam backing ranging from 1/8 to 1/2 inch thick. It is not uncommon that, as a function of time, climatic conditions, deterioration of the bonding material, deterioration of the foam backing or for other reasons, the nylon or vinyl liner will separate from the backing and sag into the vehicle compartment. The sagging headliner infringes ont he vehicle headroom, detracts from the overall appearance of the vehicle and may be a safety hazard.
In the past, manufacturers have used complex factory installed support structures employing ribbing extending from front to rear and from side to side within the shell defined by the vehicle roof to support the headliner. The use of such elaborate frameworks to support a sagging factory installed headliner is economically and aesthetically impractical. Furthermore, the readhesion of a sagging headliner to its backing is an expensive and often temporary solution. The complete removal and replacement of the headliner is the most widely used alternative because there is no presently available support or repair system that is not extremely complex or does not require drilling, gluing, heating, stitching, mending or the like so that the average consumer can easily, neatly and attractively repair a sagging headliner.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a headliner support assembly that is easily installed by a consumer. It is a further object of this invention to provide a somewhat universal headliner assembly that may be readily adapted by a consumer to suit the structure and decor of the consumer's particular vehicle. Another object of the invention is to provide a headliner support assembly which is neat and attractive in its appearance.